Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Tumour-infiltrating microplastics disrupt the JAK-STAT-microbiota axis to promote immunotherapy resistance in colorectal cancer

Researchers isolated microplastics from colorectal cancer tumor tissues and blood samples and examined their properties and effects on cancer progression. They found that tumor-infiltrating microplastics disrupted the JAK-STAT signaling pathway and altered gut microbiota composition, potentially reducing the effectiveness of immunotherapy. The study suggests that microplastic presence in tumors may be a factor worth investigating in cancer treatment outcomes.

2026 Molecular Cancer
Article Tier 2

Tumour-associated macrophages: versatile players in the tumour microenvironment

This review explores tumour-associated macrophages, immune cells that play complex and sometimes contradictory roles in cancer, both helping tumours grow and fighting them. Researchers describe newly discovered behaviors of these cells, including their ability to transform into other cell types. The study highlights the potential of targeting these macrophages as a strategy in cancer immunotherapy.

2023 Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Microscopic menace: exploring the link between microplastics and cancer pathogenesis

This review examines the growing evidence linking microplastic exposure to cancer development in humans. Microplastics can accumulate in the body and trigger inflammation, oxidative stress, and other biological changes associated with tumor growth. While more clinical research is needed, the review highlights that microplastics should be taken seriously as a potential factor in cancer risk.

2025 Environmental Science Processes & Impacts 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Role of microplastics in the tumor microenvironment (Review)

This review examines how microplastics may help tumors grow by influencing the environment around cancer cells. Microplastics can interact with immune cells, connective tissue cells, blood vessel cells, and the tissue scaffolding around tumors in ways that may promote cancer progression and inflammation. While more research is needed, the findings raise important questions about whether chronic microplastic exposure could affect cancer development in humans.

2025 Oncology Letters 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics: an often-overlooked issue in the transition from chronic inflammation to cancer

This review explores how microplastics that accumulate in the human body may trigger long-lasting inflammation, which is a known driver of cancer development. The authors describe how microplastics can disrupt the gut microbiome, activate immune responses, and alter signaling pathways in ways that could promote tumor growth over time.

2024 Journal of Translational Medicine 46 citations
Article Tier 2

The Human Archaeome: Commensals, Opportunists, or Emerging Pathogens?

This review examines the human archaeome—archaeal microorganisms inhabiting the gut, skin, and other body sites—and their potential roles in health and disease. It finds no conclusive archaeal pathogens in humans but identifies indirect roles through metabolic interactions with bacteria, relevant to gut microbiome research.

2025 Preprints.org
Article Tier 2

Converging frontiers in cancer treatment: the role of nanomaterials, mesenchymal stem cells, and microbial agents—challenges and limitations

This review examines three cutting-edge approaches to cancer treatment: nanomaterials for targeted drug delivery, mesenchymal stem cells as carriers for therapeutic agents, and microbial agents that can selectively attack tumors. Each approach aims to overcome the limitations of conventional treatments like chemotherapy and radiation, which often damage healthy tissue and lead to drug resistance. The authors discuss both the promise and the remaining challenges of bringing these innovative therapies into clinical practice.

2024 Discover Oncology 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics: An emerging environmental risk factor for gut microbiota dysbiosis and cancer development?

This review examines how microplastics may disrupt the gut microbiome and immune system in ways that could promote cancer development. Evidence from recent studies suggests microplastics can cause chronic inflammation, alter the balance of gut bacteria, and trigger molecular pathways linked to several cancer types including lung, liver, breast, and colon cancer. While more human research is needed, the review highlights a concerning connection between microplastic exposure, gut health, and cancer risk.

2025 Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Extracellular Vesicles & Co.: scaring immune cells in the TME since ever

This review explores how extracellular vesicles and other secreted particles in the tumor microenvironment help cancer cells evade the immune system. Researchers described the various ways these tiny cell-derived packages carry signals that suppress immune responses and promote tumor growth. The study provides a broad overview of how intercellular communication in tumors undermines the body's natural defenses against cancer.

2024 Frontiers in Immunology 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Nanobiotics against antimicrobial resistance: harnessing the power of nanoscale materials and technologies

Researchers review how nanoscale materials — tiny particles engineered at the billionth-of-a-meter scale — offer a promising alternative to traditional antibiotics as bacteria develop resistance to conventional drugs. These "nanobiotics" can penetrate bacterial defenses and biofilms in ways that standard antibiotics cannot, potentially helping avert a global post-antibiotic health crisis.

2022 Journal of Nanobiotechnology 142 citations
Article Tier 2

Lipid Metabolism Regulation Based on Nanotechnology for Enhancement of Tumor Immunity

This review examines how nanotechnology-based approaches can regulate lipid metabolism in tumor microenvironments to enhance anti-cancer immune responses, covering lipid nanoparticles, liposomes, and other delivery systems. The authors identify lipid metabolic reprogramming as a promising immunotherapy target and nanotechnology as a key enabler for delivering therapeutics that reshape tumor-associated metabolic pathways.

2022 Frontiers in Pharmacology 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Detection and quantification of microplastics in various types of human tumor tissues

Researchers detected microplastics in 43% of tumor samples across lung, gastric, colorectal, cervical, and pancreatic cancers, with polystyrene, PVC, and polyethylene being the types found. In pancreatic tumors, microplastic presence was associated with fewer immune cells that fight cancer and more immune cells linked to tumor progression, suggesting microplastics may create conditions that help tumors evade the immune system.

2024 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 62 citations
Article Tier 2

The micro(nano)plastics perspective: exploring cancer development and therapy

This review explores the emerging link between microplastics and cancer development. Microplastics can trigger chronic inflammation, oxidative stress, and hormone disruption, all of which are known pathways that may promote cancer growth. Interestingly, researchers are also studying whether engineered microplastics could be used as drug carriers for cancer therapy, though long-term effects remain unclear.

2025 Molecular Cancer 52 citations
Article Tier 2

mTOR Signaling Pathway and Gut Microbiota in Various Disorders: Mechanisms and Potential Drugs in Pharmacotherapy

This review summarizes how the mTOR signaling pathway, a master regulator of cell growth and metabolism, interacts with gut bacteria to influence a wide range of diseases. Disruptions to gut microbiota can trigger mTOR-related problems linked to cancer, diabetes, and inflammatory conditions. While not focused on microplastics directly, this pathway is relevant because microplastic exposure is known to disrupt gut bacteria and may contribute to mTOR-related health issues.

2023 International Journal of Molecular Sciences 30 citations
Article Tier 2

Pollutants, microbiota and immune system: frenemies within the gut

This review summarizes how environmental pollutants, including microplastics, disrupt the gut microbiome and immune system, potentially contributing to inflammatory bowel diseases and colorectal cancer. Pollutants reduce beneficial gut bacteria while promoting inflammation, weakening the intestinal barrier, and triggering a chain of events that can push cells toward cancerous growth.

2024 Frontiers in Public Health 36 citations
Article Tier 2

Who inhabits the built environment? A microbiological point of view on the principal bacteria colonizing our urban areas

Researchers reviewed the types of bacteria that colonize human-built environments such as homes, offices, hospitals, and public transportation. They found that humans are the primary source and carrier of bacterial diversity in these spaces, and that factors like ventilation, cleaning practices, and building materials shape the microbial communities present. The study highlights the importance of understanding indoor microbial ecosystems for public health, particularly as people spend increasing amounts of time indoors.

2024 Frontiers in Microbiology 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Nanotechnology in cancer treatment: revolutionizing strategies against drug resistance

This review explores how nanotechnology is being used to overcome drug resistance in cancer treatment, using materials like carbon nanotubes, dendrimers, and liposomes to deliver drugs more precisely to tumors. While not directly about microplastics, the nanomaterial strategies discussed share relevance with understanding how nano-sized plastic particles interact with human cells and tissues.

2025 Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology 31 citations
Article Tier 2

The quest for nanoparticle-powered vaccines in cancer immunotherapy

This review explores how nanoparticles are being developed as cancer vaccine delivery systems to train the immune system to fight tumors more effectively. While focused on cancer immunotherapy rather than microplastics, the research highlights that understanding how nanoparticles interact with the immune system is crucial -- the same principles apply to understanding how nanoplastics may affect immune responses in the body.

2024 Journal of Nanobiotechnology 46 citations
Article Tier 2

What happens when nanoparticles encounter bacterial antibiotic resistance?

This review examines how engineered nanoparticles interact with antibiotic-resistant bacteria, a topic with significant implications for both environmental contamination and medical treatment. Researchers found that nanoparticles can either promote or inhibit antibiotic resistance depending on factors like particle size, concentration, and surface properties. The findings highlight the need for deeper understanding of how increasing nanoparticle pollution may influence the spread of antibiotic resistance genes in the environment.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 30 citations
Article Tier 2

Identification and analysis of microplastics in peritumoral and tumor tissues of colorectal cancer

Researchers examined tumor and surrounding tissue from colorectal cancer patients and found a diverse range of microplastics, including PVC and polyethylene, with tumor tissues containing a greater variety and higher distribution of microplastics than adjacent healthy tissue. A protein called clathrin that helps cells absorb materials was highly active in the cancer tissue, suggesting it may facilitate microplastic uptake and pointing to a potential link between microplastic exposure and colorectal cancer development.

2025 Scientific Reports 16 citations